The height of detente between the United States and the Soviet Union is generally said to have taken place in the early to mid-1970s. The Helsinki Accords were signed in 1975 and were a significant diplomatic achievement but did not mark the highest point in US-Soviet relations during the period of detente.
The Helsinki Accords were a series of agreements signed by the leaders of most European countries, the United States, and Canada, reaffirming the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The accords were negotiated during the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), which had begun in 1972 and aimed to improve security and cooperation in Europe.
The Helsinki Accords were not the height of detente, but they were an important step in the process of improving relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. The accords included a number of confidence-building measures, such as the notification of military exercises and the exchange of military observers, which helped to reduce the risk of conflict. The accords also included a number of human rights provisions, which gave hope to people in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe who were struggling for greater freedom.
The Helsinki Accords were not a perfect document, and they did not resolve all of the problems between the United States and the Soviet Union. However, they were an important step in the process of detente and helped to make Europe a safer and more secure place.
